Following is a statement from Christine Owens, Executive Director, National Employment Law Project:
“We are pleased to learn that the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General will be auditing the rulemaking process used by the Wage and Hour Division in its proposal to rescind portions of its regulations on tips under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
“After learning that senior political officials within the Labor Department ordered a damaging economic analysis of this proposal to be shelved and concealed, we have grave concerns about the integrity of the regulatory process and whether the department is fulfilling its mission to ‘promote the welfare of wage earners in the United States.’
“It is appropriate for the OIG to conduct an impartial investigation into this matter. We hope and expect that the Wage and Hour Division and all officials at the Labor Department will fully cooperate with this audit.”
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